


The Ghost and the Libero

by poiowl



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ghosts, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:07:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24978166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiowl/pseuds/poiowl
Summary: Lev had never made it to Nekoma, nor did he be the ace. He met a third-year in a hospital in which they slowly got along and his name was Yaku Morisuke. They met in a way that Yaku himself did not expect."Yaku-san, I wanted to play volleyball! I wanted to become the ace, you know? Score lots of points for the team and the crowd would see how I am as important as the rest of the team! But... life had other plans for me..."
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke
Comments: 1
Kudos: 69





	1. A Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Starting a story that I'm not sure if I'd update frequently. But I'll try to since I just got back from writing.
> 
> :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accidents happen. But this was not one of the usual results from it...

Yaku's P.O.V.

It was another day of practice for Nekoma, and we had just finished our stretching. So, now it was time for us to have our usual volleyball practice. I walked with Kenma and went over to the side of the gym.

"Yaku..?" Kenma started in his usual low tone of voice. I glanced over to him as I had just took a sip of water.

"Yeah?" I replied back to him, wiping my mouth.

"Have you heard of… the supposedly new first year?" He asked, not really looking at me.

"What about it?" I gave a quick stretch before putting my hands on my sides and looking at him.

"You see, somehow he didn't make it here." Kenma told me, and I didn't quite get it.

"Why? Did he… fail at his entrance exams?" I assumed, since that was commonly the reason why students don't get accepted into schools, right?  
Kenma looked a bit serious, so I waited for his answer.

"No, it's not those kinds of reasons. The teachers were discussing it earlier, well, it sounded like they were…" He continued. I was feeling a bit uneasy yet curious. Did I miss any news?

"Then… what? Why didn't that student get into Nekoma?" I kept looking at Kenma, who looked emotionless yet very serious.

"He got murdered."

What? He got… murdered? A student who was supposedly attending our school? That's… too much to process…

"I...I see..." I managed to say after a bit of silence. I mean, what can you even say in a situation like that?

Kenma sighed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to let the mood drop." Kenma apologized.

"No, it's nothing like that. I guess it got a bit overwhelming…" I told him.

"Yeah. I am too." He admitted.

"No wonder, the school's very careful nowadays." I mentioned and he agreed. Soon, Kuroo called us and we were about to start practice. 

The news of that incident started 3 weeks ago. There were supposed to be transferees who will be attending our school. 

But, after a couple days, the school suddenly raised their security and an announcement was made to buddy-up whenever you go in or out the school premises. I haven't heard the real thing though.

Just now, from Kenma.

I did hear about the murder, but my mind didn't process that it was a student, a soon-to-be-student at our school. At least, I didn't listen to it much, but I was pretty fazed from it. 

"Left!" Tora yells, and we moved. The ball was a bit too far, but I managed to save it.

"Nice save, Yaku!" Inuoka tells me, and I gave him a grin.

To actually hear a tragedy like that, and for it to be that near is frightening. It made me think of how scared I would be if that happened to me. 

But then again, if it was a sudden movement… you won't really have much of a reaction. You might just have a look at the killer before you black out and you're not breathing anymore.

How would I know…? From movies? Probably. But in real life? Who ever knows? Probably near death experiences.

"Ah, too far!" I hear Kuroo yell, as the ball was pushed back too far. I need to get it. I better hit it. I ran to get the ball to pass it back to someone, but as soon as I did…

everything went black.

-Author's P.O.V.-

"YAKU!" Inuoka yells out and runs over to their libero, who was on the ground. Unconscious. His head was bleeding.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED?" Tora ran over to them, along with the other members.

"He hit the wall while he was chasing after the ball!" Inuoka said, as the one who saw what happened. 

Yaku chased after the ball that was way too far, but as a libero, he needed to save it.

After all, it hadn't dropped yet. Always take your chances. But for this case, as soon as Yaku had gotten the ball, it got too near the wall and he hit it, head first.

"Call the ambulance. Get towels, and cover over the blood." Kuroo said immediately with much seriousness and firmness in his voice.  
Inuoka called the school nurse and let her help Yaku with the bleeding. Tora called the ambulance, who arrived shortly after. 

Yaku was taken inside the ambulance. The coach and their captain told Kenma and Tora to go with them and check on him. For that while, Kuroo explained everything to both the school nurse and the paramedics.

Yaku was taken to the hospital.

~

Yaku's P.O.V.

There was an aching pain in my head and the mixed smell of medicine and sanitation products as cool air passes from an air conditioner. I opened my eyes slowly and felt very dizzy.  
Somehow, I found myself on some bed that was a bit comfier than my own bed.

Neat.

I took short glances around the room, and just realized that I was inside a hospital room.  
No wonder the smell was so familiar.

A doctor soon got inside the room, and looked very relieved to see me awake. He gave me a quick check-up and tells me that everything is alright.

"Mr. Yaku, you had a pretty bad fall, from what I heard from your schoolmates. But don't worry, we patched up your wounds and you're gonna be fine. But you might stay and recover here until tomorrow." The doctor told me. He kept talking which was taking me quite a bit of a while to process it all. 

I slowly glanced elsewhere and noticed someone was there. He was rather tall and his back was facing me. Probably a doctor too. I returned to 'listening' and he made sure I'll be well-cared for.

"I will leave you for a bit to rest and return after a couple hours to give you another check-up." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"Thank you." I tell him.

"In the meantime, I'll allow your schoolmates to give you a little visit." He tells me. Schoolmates? They're here?

"Oh, okay. Thank you." I managed to tell him. He let two people in as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Kenma and Tora.

"How are you, Yaku-san?" Tora asked me. I gave him a smile.

"I'm okay, I guess. It just hurts sometimes. I… what happened though…?" I ask. Tora started stuttering and he tried telling how I ended up here but it was all messy. He was about to continue, but Kenma patted his shoulder.

"Inuoka said he saw you chase the ball but you hit the wall head first as you managed to pass it back." Kenma said cleanly. Tora looked a bit disappointed he couldn't explain it well but also looked thankful for Kenma's save.

"I see… I guess I got a bit too reckless again, huh?" I tell them, laughing nervously. They both gave me a smile.

"Yeah, I guess. But it happens, and I still idolize you for your saving skills, Yaku." Tora tells me and I chuckle.

"Thank you, Tora." I tell him. We talked for quite a bit, with them sitting on the bed. It was nice, at least I had company. But then, the nurse peeked in and told them that I needed to rest now.

"Well, we'll be going, Yaku." Kenma tells me, standing up from the bed.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for coming by." I tell them. Honestly, I felt relieved that they kept me company. The smell and everything else were making me feel uneasy.

"Of course! Don't worry, we'll visit you again later, okay? I hope you recover soon." Tora says. I waved and said goodbye, and they waved back, leaving the room.

And now I'm alone and have nothing to do.

I closed my eyes for a bit and just relaxed myself. My head was still throbbing but not as much as before.

"This sucks…" I say to myself.

"So, that's Nekoma, huh?" I hear someone say. I looked over to my left and saw a guy, leaning against the wall. He had silver hair, green eyes, lean body type and was really tall.

"Who are you..?" I asked, very confused. I stared at him for a long while and he soon realized. But instead of reacting, he crouched down, behind the bedside table and hid.

What.

"Uh…" I kept looking at him and he was still as a rock. He looked oddly familiar. I sigh and just tell him. How did he even get inside…?

"You know I can see you, right?" I say. He jolted a bit and stood up suddenly, facing me. To be honest, he looked like a cat. A weirdly tall-looking cat, from hell. Probably a lion.

"YOU DO??" He asked in an excited tone. I nodded.

"Yeah…?"

"Oh, this is a first. Haha!" He tells me, being all happy while spinning in place. I raised a brow. First? Why wouldn't anyone notice a very obnoxious guy? Besides, he's freakishly tall, how can no one see him?

"Uh sure…?" I look away from him. He was a bit weird and childish. How did he even get in…??

"So, you're Yaku, huh? I heard from your friends, is all. Don't think of me as a creep or anything!" He said, defending himself immediately. I raised my brow and told him to calm down.

"Geez, relax. Yeah, I'm Yaku. Also, how the hell did you get in—"

"Ohh! Also, that was Nekoma, right?" He asked, completely cutting off my question. I sighed, before nodding at his question.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked. Well, he's the only one here and he's too childish to be anyone dangerous. I think it's better to just let him keep me company.

"Oh, well. I'm Lev. Sorry for not giving you a proper introduction, Yaku-san." He said, scratching the back of his head. 

'Yaku-san'? How polite…?

"It's fine. I didn't give you much of an introduction either." I say. He just smiled and rubbed his nape. Now it's getting awkward.

"So, how old are you?" I ask. 

I sound like a 40-year old guy asking their nieces and nephews, who haven't seen him in a while, their age. Gross.

"15 years old." He tells me. He's pretty young, sounds like a first year too. Now that I think about it, does he even go to school?

"Wow, you're pretty young for someone that tall." I tell him, with a little smirk. No, I wasn't happy. I was irritated. If my assumption is correct, that he's around 1st-year of high school, I'll be offended with that kind of height and I'm a 3rd-year.

"Genes, I guess. I'm half Russian! So, that explains why I'm this tall!" He said proudly. HALF-RUSSIAN?? That's actually cool, but then his face....  
I could slap that look off of his weird face. 

"C-Cool…" I tell him. He just kept talking. To be honest, he has a lot of things to say which took off the boredom away from me staying here alone.

He kept talking about how he had a very cool and pretty older sister. He had a hard time entering classrooms without thinking about the upper door panel. He chased a cat for a while before going to school which made him a little late for class.

I actually lost track of time, and how long we talked about random stuff. It was mostly about him anyway. But it was better than waiting for my next check-up doing nothing at all. Even so, he was alright and I was glad that I had company.

Soon, the doctor came into my room, holding some papers at hand. He looked pretty happy.

"Hello, Mr. Yaku. How are you? I heard you talking a lot, were you talking on your phone?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, I was actually talking to someone in here." I told him. He raised his brow but let it be.

"I could've sworn that no one should be in here at all, but I guess I can make an exception for now." He said, checking my eyes and mouth. He took his checklist and with a quick swift stroke of his pen, he gave the list a couple check marks.

"I assume he left already?" He spoke.

"No, he's still here." I tell him, looking over at Lev who was by the medicine cabinet, just taking a look at it. He even looked mesmerized by it.

"Haha, you're full of jokes, Mr. Yaku." He tells me, even laughing for a short while. Why the hell is he laughing? I didn't say anything funny.

"Huh? But—" I look over to the small area near the medicine cabinet, expecting to see Lev there, but he wasn't. I quickly shook my head, not letting the doctor mind any of it.

What the hell?

After a while, I completed my check-ups and the doctor packed his stuff. I was feeling a bit uneasy again. I know it wasn't much, but once you enter this room of mine, you would immediately see every part of the room…

So, why didn't he see Lev?

The doctor made his way towards the door. But I noticed, Lev. He was there, near the door area. Surely, he would be seen.

The doctor just passed right beside Lev and immediately left. That was weird. How come he couldn't see Lev? He even stared at him like a weird-ass giraffe as he left.

I got so lost in thought. Am I really the one who can see Lev? Or maybe it's just a misunderstanding and the doctor was just really stupid?  
Maybe my head is just playing with me right now? and I just need to rest…

"Hey." Lev walked towards me and waved his large hand in front of my face. I quickly snapped out of it and faced him.

"Uh.. yeah?" I blurted out. He smiled.

"How was the check up? Were you all good?" He asked, like a child waiting for his friend to be able to play outside.

"Ah, yeah, it was alright." I managed to say. I looked at him really well. How could he not see this freakishly tall person? Is he blind? Did he think that Lev was a wall? Am I not getting something?

"Yaku-san? Yaku-saaaan? Yaku-san!" I snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of my name being repeated over and over by an annoying childish voice.

"Y-Yeah?" I look at him.

"Are you okay? You don't seem very fine to me at all. Are you really, really, sure the check-up went well?" He asked me. I can see how concerned he was. I quickly nodded and tugged on my blanket.

"Y-Yes, well…" I replied.

"Hm?" He looked at me. His eyes showed how curious he was to know what I want to say. Should I really ask it? Would it sound stupid? It's just us anyway.

"This might sound weird so…" I started. He giggled a bit.

"Hey, I'm weird too! Go ahead!" He laughed. It actually made me smile for a short while. I mean, he's not wrong.

You are weird, dummy. Very weird.

~

"Are you real?" I asked. He looked at me for a bit before bursting into laughter. Was it a stupid question after all? I nervously gave a short chuckle before he stopped laughing, wiping his tears.

"Of course I am! How else are you able to see me? Hear me, even?" He giggles. I know that but it doesn't make any sense that the doctor didn't see nor hear you. Come to think of it, which voice did he even hear? Lev did most of the talking. Could he have heard that?

"Well…. it's because I noticed something earlier while I was having a check-up." I continued.

"Go on."

"You were basically in the area of where anyone would see you. You were even next to the doctor when he left and yet… he didn't see you at all…" I tell him. He looked at me, even chuckling a bit but not as much as before.

"Oh, that." He said.

There was silence.

That's all? That's all he's gonna say?

"S-So, I was wondering why he didn't see you while I can see you clearly.. I'm even talking to you." I tell him. He sighed and sat on my bed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I guess it is pretty weird, huh?" He smiled.

"Do you know… why..?" I ask.

There was silence again, and Lev was looking away from me but I can tell that he was smiling.

…

"Can other people see you like me? Maybe the doctor didn't notice…? Or that he's stupid…" I ask, breaking the silence that was going off for about 3 minutes.

"I don't think so…? That's why I'm pretty lucky you can." Lev said, taking a short glance at me before looking away again.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask again. Am I not getting it? There seems to be something wrong that I'm not understanding right now. Were there clues that I hadn't noticed? Lev was swinging his feet up and he looked like he was relaxing himself before speaking.

What do I need to know? He barely left any stories about him and his family life, his hobbies, what he's like.

Something is definitely off. The atmosphere has gotten a bit drowsy and I can't shake it off at all. Is he actually bad? Did I mistake him for some good guy?

He took a deep breath and faced me.

What? What is it? Why can no one see you?

"Well, Yaku-san..." He started. I tugged on my blanket while looking at him. He looked really calm. On second thought, why was I so anxious?

He smiled before continuing what he had to say. He looked so relaxed yet so… sad..

"It's probably because… I'm dead?"


	2. Ghost Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little backstory from the tall telephone pole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part. Hope you enjoyed the previous one.

Lev's P.O.V.

"It's probably because… I'm dead?" I tell him and he looks at me. I can tell he was really confused at the situation. 

It got silent.

Yaku-san was still looking at me but his expression changed into something more nervous-looking. He stammered as he tried to say something.

"D-Dead? Haha… w-what is this, Lev? A joke? B-Because i-it's not that.. good…n-nor funny" Yaku-san said, nervously laughing at what I had just told him.

Ah, I see…

"I died… recently…" I started. Should I actually tell him? He doesn't believe me so, I think I should, right? He looked at me, confused. Worried. Concerned. I bet he thinks that I'm dramatic or just telling this as a joke.

It's not.

"What—"

"I was walking toward my new school, chasing a cat who crossed my path…" I continued, not minding Yaku-san's short blurts. I noticed that his hands gripped on the blanket tightly, and his look screamed utter confusion.

"W-Wait, Lev—"

"I caught the cat with a couple of attempts. It was still early but I was already on my way to my school because I was excited. I knew I had more opportunities there. Something I love doing and can excel at in my pace." I continued and Yaku-san was as nervous as earlier. I sighed and looked away from him, just to let him know I'm not directing this to anyone, not even him. But that I'm telling this because I want him to know who and what I am.

He didn't speak.

He was listening now.

"I kept walking, a couple blocks away from the school. But I was met by a guy, who quickly grabbed my arm, pushing it away, making me fall in the process. He pinned me down and was stabbing me." I tell him. His eyes widened. He was about to say something but no words really came out, so I kept on going.

"He kept stabbing me with an ice pick. He kept calling out this name that I didn't know. Kiyo, or something, and continued to force that weapon of his, into my chest, my shoulders, my stomach.... my head. My eyes were closed as I felt the pain throughout my body, and soon I passed out. Or at least I think I did." I say, continuing. I wasn't really facing him anymore because I know he'll be more scared if I did.

So I just continued, again.

"Before I knew it, I woke up. But it felt different. I saw police officers and police cars. I saw my family, my mom, my dad, my siblings… they were all crying. I saw Alisa running towards my direction and I raised my arms for a hug but, she ran right through me. I looked behind me and there it was.... my body. Lifeless. Full of holes… unlike my future, that was neither holed nor partly stitched. Just gone." I paused for a bit. I felt a bit heavy suddenly and I knew it was because of my emotions. I slowly looked at Yaku-san, who was in pure shock at what I had said.

"Lev…" He spoke out, still looking at me. I saw his eyes start watering.

Oh no, I didn't expect that…

"Yaku-san, wait! Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything! I just wanted you to know that I was telling the truth!" I tell him the best I could. My arms were flailing around, trying to calm him from whatever he's feeling.

Nice job, Lev. You idiot.

"N-No, it's just… I… I can't believe it… I'm talking to a dead guy…" He said, sniffling. 

"And I want you to know that this isn't just because you hit your head! I'm real! You're talking to the one and only Lev Haiba, the ghost you have met." I tell him. He looked at me startled but he chuckled a bit.

"Ghost… yeah…" He repeated. I smile.

"Ghost sounds better than dead guy!" I tell him, and he laughed at my statement.

"I guess it does sound a bit cooler." He said. I flexed my muscles and proudly wore the title of 'Yaku-san's Ghost Buddy'.

"Sorry, about the sudden...change of… you know…" I apologized, realizing that I made him really uncomfortable. First we were having it quite alright but then it shifted to something… serious.

I bowed and apologized.

"D-Don't worry…! I believe you now. It's just that, this is the first time I've ever talked to a ghost. I think it's pretty... unique…?" He said, rubbing the back of his nape. I can settle with that. I sat on his bed.

He still looks confused. But I can tell that he's calmer than earlier and that's better.

"C-Can you…" He started to speak again, twiddling his thumbs together.

"Yeah?"

"Can you… float…?" He pouted, not looking at me. I blinked a few times and was understanding his question.

Float?

Ghost stuff?

"Uh, I guess?" I tell him. He quickly looks at me, but he hesitated at whatever he planned to do. But I can tell he was at least excited to see me do that.

So I did. Because I'm an awesome ghost buddy.

"I mean… it's nothing really awesome. Just a few inches away from the ground." I said as I floated, showing it off to Yaku-san, who seems to be impressed.

Lev, you're so hella cool.

Yes, I know, Lev.

"Woah. That's still very cool." He told me, looking over to my feet. Probably making sure that I wasn't cheating? But how would you even cheat floating?

"Glad you think so." I said as I sat back on his bed.

~

Then…

There was again silence. 

Rather, from Yaku-san's side. I was the one talking since earlier and I had just realized it now.

"When did it...happen?" Yaku-san suddenly broke the silence and spoke. He wasn't looking at me, but I didn't even hear what he said either.

"Did you say something, Yaku-san?" I ask. He sighed deeply and spoke again. Yes, this time I'm listening.

"W-When… did it happen?" He asked me, tugging his blanket towards him. 

When did what happen?

"What?" 

~

Yaku's P.O.V.

Is he not getting me? Did his mind trail off elsewhere? Probably, since he talked a lot of other stuff.

"When did what happen, Yaku-san?" He asked me, looking clueless. I sighed and just shrugged it off. I mean, thinking about that now, maybe he's still not comfortable with it.

I don't think any spirit-like entity, such as himself, would be comfortable with talking about how they died, especially if it's a murder.

"Yeah, um, nevermind actually." I told him. 

"Are you sure, Yaku-san?" He asked, hopping off the bed. He was holding onto the bed, his chin resting on his hands while looking at me like a cat seeking for attention.

"Yeah, I thought of something random. Don't mind that." I told him, and he hummed. He jumped up and smiled at me.

"Well, okay, Yaku-san." Lev says, grinning widely. takes a second before giving me a peace sign with his fingers. 

What's that pose for?

"Hm?"

"Does this mean we're friends now?" He smiled at me, looking all happy and excited. I was a bit startled but nonetheless, I think we're pretty much friends anyway. The amount of time he kept me company and that he's gradually making me comfortable here in this hospital.

"Huh?" I blurted out.

"Well, I mean… if you're okay with having a ghost or..me, as a friend that is…? I d-don't mind if you just want me to be your acquaintance..!" He told me, flailing his arms around as if he's done something wrong. Is he being hesitant? This tall-ass pole is being hesitant?

"What are you talking about, idiot?" I started, crossing my arms together. He looked at me, a bit startled and confused. Probably because of the tone of my voice.

"Yaku-san??"

"Of course we're friends. You did keep me company in this damned place, as well as talk to me a lot. You're fun, and all that so… yeah. We're friends." I scratched my nape, and tried to get the words out. Can't say those were the best, though. Surely, what I said can prove how much of a friend he already is. 

"R-Really? Yaku-san, really??" He got close to my face. I assume he's really happy to hear that. I nodded, smiling at his childishness.  
He raised is arms up like he won the lottery or something. Didn't realize that would mean so much to him.

But I'm glad too.

For the rest of the day, he kept me company until I needed to rest. The doctor gave me some more check-ups and scans up until the next day, to make sure my head is recovering properly.

Lev was still there. He was watching the doctor write about how my condition is doing. He was even giving me a thumbs up at each scribble the doctor makes, in which I smile at. Basically, he was reassuring me that my tests were all good.

On the third day of my stay at the hospital, I had one last check-up before the doctor allowed me to be discharged. I still needed to rest, but my head is pretty much okay. I couldn't wait to play volleyball again. 

Those idiots better be practicing well, even without me. 

Then it hit me…

No, not the ball.

Lev would probably follow me around the place. Maybe even as I practice with the others. I'm the only one who can see him and hear him, so if I suddenly answer Lev's questions or stories, the team might think I'm crazy.

Well, in that situation. They would just see me talking to nothing.

I can't let that happen.

"Lev—" I call out for the tall ghost child but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I tried calling him again but he still wasn't showing up.

I'll be going to school tomorrow too. Well, as long as I don't do too much extraneous activities, the doctor said I'll be fine.

My mom came to help me out, as she had since I got there, and together we went home.

I slowly slide onto my bed and made myself rest, as the doctor advised. But I still couldn't stop thinking about the situation I'll have with Lev.

I'll just have to think of a way tomorrow then. 

I bet it'll be just fine.

-

-

-  
-The next day-  
-

-

-

This is NOT fine. I repeat. This is totally NOT FINE.

"Yaku-san! Is this the volleyball court? Gym, maybe? Your school's amazing! I wanna see you play! Are those your teammates? Are they good? They all look so cool!" Lev flooded me with all these questions and compliments, I couldn't even catch on. He was circling around me, viewing the whole gym. Even the nets and floorboards. 

I was warming up by the bench, and doing my stretches. What I hear instead of the usual silence is…

"Woah! Yaku-san, you're so flexible! Are you used to that stretching exercise? Surely, there are more exercises you know!" Lev wouldn't stop. He was too excited by Nekoma's gym. I wanted to tell him off to be quiet, but I realized that the team might hear me and be concerned more.

"I wanted to play volleyball too! It looks so fun!" He said with glee before going towards the net. This idiot.

Wait, a second.

'Wanted to play'?

"Oi, L—" I was about to call him, until I realized that I was calling out to someone my team can't see. I ended up making a weird noise to which Tora noticed.

"Hey, Yaku-san? Are you okay?" He asked me. I nodded in a quick motion, which made Tora calm me down.

"HEY CALM DOWN, YOU'RE GONNA BREAK YOUR NECK!" I hear him say, making me stop. He looked at me as if I had a mental breakdown and I just stopped funtioning. Well, I mean, there was a slight… breakdown… I guess...

I reassured him I was fine, and quickly grabbed my water bottle, drinking lots from it. I looked at Lev, who was now looking at all the volleyball balls, even looking so mesmerized by it. He quickly went back to me.

"Yaku-san! Yaku-san! You hit that many of those?! You're so cool! I wanna see you play! Come on! Come on!" He tells me, and I just managed to sneak a smile at him. Luckily, Tora nor the other members saw that.

Lev was jumping around now...

"This is gonna be a long day…" I mutter to myself.


	3. Another One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conditions with talking to a dead person and... possible another person who can see them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slow update. I am lazy.
> 
> Here's my apology, please do accept.

Yaku's P.O.V.

"Come on! One more time!" Tora yells, passing the ball, a spike comes in from Kuroo and now we have gained another point from our side of the team.

Kuroo tells everyone to have a break for a while and to rest, so that's what we did. I noticed Lev was going towards my direction, and as soon as he reached me, he started praising, not just me but the whole team. Not that they'd hear, but he still told me.

"Yaku-san! You did great! That was so cool! All of you were super cool! You connected the ball so well! Yaku-san, you saved the ball amazingly! So cool!" Lev kept complimenting everyone. Especially me, the only one who can hear and see him. 

I couldn't respond though. 

Kenma, Fukunaga and Shibayama were around me, drinking water and sitting down to rest. They're tired but I'm sure they'll notice me suddenly talking to air.

I gave Lev a smile as he tried reenacting the spiking form from Kuroo, which I found really cute of him. He's trying hard.

But now that I thought about it. He did mention saying he "wanted" to play volleyball. 

Was that before he died? Did he plan to play?

Probably not now, but I guess that can be a topic for next time.

"Yaku-san! How do you dig the ball like that? You're so quick! You're really incredible and super, super cool! I'd watch you and your team play forever!" Lev, again, told me so suddenly that it got me startled, even letting out an odd little sound.

"Gah-??" I blurted out.

I quickly realized that, and saw Kenma and Fukunaga looking at me with concern. I stayed silent for a bit.

"Are you okay, Yaku-san?" Fukunaga sat down beside where I was. I nodded in a quick manner which startled him more.

"Y-Yeah! Of course. I just.. got caught off-guard as I started to d-doze off… haha.." I told him. He looked at me, smiling. Even giving me a short chuckle.

"Well, take it easy. You shouldn't even be moving that much. Not with you in the middle of recovery still." He told me. 

"Yeah.. haha, I guess so." I laughed. He is correct on that part. I can't move too recklessly since my head is still recovering. I must admit that it aches from time to time. 

I need to follow the doctor.

Damn.

I took a sip of my water, and as soon as I did. Lev appeared on the other side.

"YAKU-SAN!" He screamed at me. He seemed happy, while I almost choked on my water. Fukunaga noticed and stood up, patting my back.  
I thanked him for it.

"Um…Sorry, I'll just go to the bathroom. Be back in a bit." I excused myself, since I made a bit of a mess in front of Fukunaga. He nodded and I left.

In the hall, near the bathroom doors, I called out for Lev.

"Lev…!" I yell out, not too loudly. He appeared beside me, and he was smiling. 

But I wasn't.

"Hey, Yaku-san! You have a lot of friends! I'm kinda jealous. But your team is so good!" He started his one-man praising team. I tried to slide in between his statements, but each word was followed by another in such a quick transition.

He kept going..

and going...

and going...

I need to talk now.

"Lev!" I stopped him, raising my voice.

"..Y-Yaku...san…?" He looked at me startled and somewhat scared. This was the first time I raised my voice at him. Before, I just shrugged or told him off as properly as I could. I know we just became friends and there's not much experience at most, but through that talking before, it seems as if we've known each other for a long time already. 

But now, it was different for him. 

This was the first time I saw his face so confused and even looking… quite… terrified that he backed away a bit.

"Look, Lev. I didn't mean to yell, I'm sorry. But, you see, you can't expect me to keep talking to you when I'm in front of people, especially if it's my team. It's gonna look like I'm talking to nothing, and I'm not talking to nothing. I'm talking to you and… you know… they don't really see you so…" I told him, sighing as I regained my composure and tried to explain how it was. 

I guess you could say, it's supposedly common knowledge that not all humans can see people like Lev. Entities like him. But the situations of people, alive and alive, are different from the people of, alive and dead.

Dead and dead…?

Maybe, I could've told him in a nicer manner too. I sounded… a bit too harsh just now.

I'm a bit… stressed.

I take a look at Lev, and he was quiet. His face wore a blank expression. He was looking at something else. Not me, but in my direction.

"Lev, I just wanted to…"

"You shouldn't have to feel the need to respond to me, Yaku-san…" He suddenly spoke. I stopped with what I wanted to say.

Tried to say.

I looked at him and he was smiling at me, softly. 

"I know that. I know that not everyone can see me or hear me. But know that whenever I talk to you when you're in front of other people, it's just telling you what I think. Just sharing what interests me in our surroundings… to you. " He put his hands behind his back, his voice was more calming than usual. It caught me off-guard.

I didn't speak. I just let him do the talking that he needs.

"I guess, what I did back there really caught you by surprise, so I'm sorry. I was just excited with the whole place. I'll make sure to keep it down next time. I promise, Yaku-san." He told me. I was in awe. Never knew he would be this sincere and considerate.

He's better at it than me.

"Um… yeah. I got startled earlier because of that. Don't worry though! It's fine, you don't need to hold back any excitement." I tell him, rubbing my arm without glancing at him. I expected a response, but I heard nothing. I looked to see if he heard that, and it seems like he did. But he was giving me a funny look, as if, I said something wrong.

"What?" I raised my brow at him. He gave a serious look at me.

What? Why is looking at me as if what I said was wro—

Oh.

"O-Okay, well, uh... not that excited. But if you wanna talk, then talk. I can listen and we can talk about it as soon as I'm done with whatever I'm doing. Also, keep it down while I'm practicing and… when I'm in class." I told him. His seriousness returned into his usual idiotically weird self.

"Yes sir!" He said with glee, saluting like I'm a commander who gave him a day off for the first time. That happens, right? Oh, well.

"Good. Let's head back. You can watch us practice more." I smiled as soon as I invited him along, and so did he. 

I went back to the team, and Kenma looked at me weird. He put his psp down and gave me a smirk.

"You look happy, Yaku-san." He said with his lazy-ish tone of voice. 

Me? Happy? 

How?

"What? I am?" I asked, patting my cheeks and getting lost at what Kenma had told me.

"Yeah. You look happy today." Kenma emphasized, pointing at my face. I slapped his hand off playfully. Shibayama went to us and Kenma immediately told him that I looked happy and wanted him to agree.

"Ah, yeah. Yaku-san looks really happy today. Did something good happen?" Shibayama smiled. This future libero is always so full of glee.

"I.."

"Well, whatever it is. I hope it gives you a booster as we practice. Not too much, though." Kenma said bluntly. I smirked and gave them both a playful punch on their arms.

Kuroo soon called us back in the court, meaning practice is about to start again.

"Hey, listen, we have guests for today." Kuroo started. Everyone listened.

"Well, is anyone gonna ask who?" He asked us sarcastically. Some of us laughed. I'm one of those who laughed.

"Who?" Tora asked.

"Fukurodani Academy is coming over. Meaning, we're going to have a practice match with them. So warm up properly, and drink some fluids. We're gonna show them what we're made of. Especially that spiker of an owl." Kuroo encouraged, smirking in a sinister manner at the last sentence. The whole team is used to that actually. We're still excited to see Fukurodani. 

"Cool!" Inuoka smiles. 

"Let's get fired up then!" Tora jumped, raising his arms into the air. 

We all got prepared. Even giving a few tosses and spikes. Working on the receives. Of course, I'll be in charge of that. 

We continued preparations. Soon, we see students with white uniforms, with black and gold. It's none other than the Fukurodani Academy. 

They've arrived. 

"Hey hey hey! It's good to be back here!" Bokuto Koutarou, their captain and their ace. He rejoiced as soon as he stepped inside the gym. 

"Bokuto-san, please keep it down." Says a guy with raven hair. His name was Akaashi Keiji. Their 2nd-year setter. He's usually the one who keeps Bokuto under control when it's too much. 

"Hehe, sorry Akaashi." Bokuto smiles. Kuroo immediately went on over to them and shook the other captain's hand. They were already giggling and telling each other about what their team has been up to in practice. 

They're sometimes the same person. 

Kuroo called us in and we got ready for the practice match. Same goes for Fukurodani. 

We got into court and started playing. I take a glance at the side from time to time and see Lev there. He looks very amazed, more than before now that there's another team here with us. 

After a while of playing, tossing and spiking, we took a break. We won 2 sets and them… 3.

3 sets. 

We lost overall, but we decided to have another game in a little while. I sat down on the floor, wiping my face with a towel and drinking some water to refresh myself. I soon noticed someone sit right by me, and I already knew who it was. 

I guess I already spent too much time with him. 

"Fukurodani is a pretty good team too, Yaku-san! But you're better." I hear Lev say, looking all excited because of the 'thrilling' match he saw. 

Though that last part, caught me off-guard. 

"Hm?" I whisper. He suddenly jolted and flapped his hand in front of his face. 

"I-I mean, your team! You guys are better! I know you lost, but you guys were on fire!" He defended. I didn't even mention anything and he already looks flustered. 

Oh, well. 

~

Lev's P.O.V.

Yaku-san looks really tired already after that practice match. That Fukurodani team was honestly good, but I think Nekoma was better than them honestly.

I said 'honestly' repetitively. 

Well then.

"I'll just stroll around, Yaku-san! I'll be right back, okay!" I tell him. He slowly nods, smiling a little behind the towel. I guess to not make it weird for anyone to see.

I took a little trip by myself around Nekoma's gym. The place was huge and it looked like you can put a large cat in this place, or more!

I came across a hallway, where apparently, Yaku-san told me off for being a little distracting, which I respect. 

I stop for a bit.

"Ah, I finally feel refreshed." I hear someone say as I also heard water running. It was coming from the bathroom. I slowly took a peek through the wall, making sure I didn't walk into anything weird.

Like butts or something.

I saw a guy with dirty-blonde hair. I remember him from the match earlier, he was honestly pretty good. His name was Konoha something, I think. Not sure if that was the correct name though.

I continued into the bathroom. Why? I don't know.

"Why did I go here…?" I blurted out. I was about to go back out and explore the rest of the place but something caught my attention.

"Hm, is someone here?" I hear him ask, closing the faucet. He was looking around the bathroom. I was nearby the door when I was about to go out but he was looking near the stalls for some reason.

Can he hear me?

"Maybe I'm just hearing things." Konoha says, opening the faucet again and started washing his face. 

Can he really hear me, or was that just coincidence…?

I better find out for myself…

I walked toward him, and peeked on him a bit. He yawns and stretches slowly, wiping his face with the towel that was over his neck.

I touch his shoulder.

"Brr… it's cold suddenly. What the hell…?" He rubbed his arms as he shook his head sideways. He looked at the opposite direction of where I was and was glancing around. He looked a little confused.

"Woops, I guess he felt that." I say.

"Felt what? Is someone here??" Konoha asked, walking forward to where he was facing.

He CAN HEAR ME. 

Konoha scratched the back of his head. He looked really confused but surprisingly, he wasn't scared. At least I don't think he is. 

"Is someone playing a prank? It's only been a month since I last been here, have I missed something?" He said to… himself, most probably. He must think he's hearing random stuff or that he's stupidly crazy.  
But he already heard what I said twice. 

Maybe I should… check if he can see me too? He's been avoiding my direction, maybe he does see me but he doesn't want to? 

It's worth a shot. 

"I don't think anyone's playing a prank on you." I say, going in front of him. He was looking down, but suddenly looked up, straight at my direction… or possibly me. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He yelled and stumbled back. I got startled too and stepped back a bit. 

Did he see me now? 

He looked straight at me, and we were both startled to the point that we weren't talking at all. So, I guess he really can see me. 

Good to know. 

"Ah- Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I blurted out, since he looked really freaked out. He shot me a glare, sitting up straight. 

"Don't do that, man!" He told me. I raised my hands up to show that I meant no harm. 

"You can see me?" I asked him, just to make sure he just didn't feel as if something is here with him. He nodded, aggressively. 

"Yes, I can see you!" He told me, sighing.

"Oh good. Be—" 

"How did you even come in here without me knowing?" He cut me off, looking rattled and frustrated. 

"Yeah, well, about that—" Before I can say anything, he groaned, sounding stressed. I ended up staring at him for a bit as he rattled about a few things. How Bokuto's emo mode, or something, came out for 5 times in a row during their previous plays. Akaashi sometimes overthink little things. That he may not look like it, but his whole team could tell if he was looking into things too deeply. 

I smiled in between his stories. He kept rambling, but in the end he seems to be okay with his team. But his stress were a bit high. 

He was blurting other stuff too. Even without my reactions being seen. It seems as if he forgot I was here. He mentioned a few other things, such as, he almost got hit by a ball during a serve, and someone bumping into him while in the hallway or something. 

I was about to say something, until he blurted out something I did not expect. 

"... Like seriously, it feels like I'm cursed. Like I'm talking to a spirit again…" He blurted out, letting a deep sigh. 

Huh? Huh?? 

HAH?? 

Excuse me? 

"What?" 

"What?"


	4. Startled Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Practice match. New acquaintances. Realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if this is long or if it's any good. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry if some events are a bit quick.

Lev's P. O. V. 

"Y..You can see spi—" 

"Oh, no no no. I could never." Konoha cut me off as soon as I was about to confirm. He looked rattled, even trying to change the subject. Saying that he needs to go back and play for the team. 

But the time of their break has just started. 

"But, how can you see me then?" I ask. He raised a brow at me, and was confused. He looks like he wants to deny something but can't find the words to say so. 

"What…? What are you talking about? You're a person, a living person—" 

"Used to live, and now dead." Now, I cut him off from saying anything more. He was startled, but not as much as Yaku-san was when I told him. 

He stared at me for a good 15 seconds, gestured a poke near my arm. His finger passed right through me, and I just looked at it. He jumped a bit before retracting his finger back. 

"No way…" He mumbled. 

"Yes way. As you can see, I am a ghost." I tell him. Making sure that information goes straight into his head. 

"Not again…" He put his hands on his face and groaned. I was about to say something but he stopped me. Shushing me. 

I blinked a few times as he stood silent in his place, not saying a word nor looking at me. He doesn't seem to be shaken up by the fact that he's talking to a ghost. But based on his previous words, I'm assuming he already had an encounter with ghosts or spirits a couple times or so. 

I was, again, about to talk to break the silence but he immediately spoke out. I had to hold my words back. 

"Yes, it's not my first time with a ghost encounter. Yes, it has happened to me for a long time already. No, I am not a ghost hunter or spirit helper. I am just a student who can talk to entities and such spirits. No, I cannot talk or see every single spirit." He said under one breath before looking at me, irritated. He basically answered those common questions, I guess. Probably what I was about to ask him too. 

That's one thing out of the way. 

" G..Good to know…" I said to him, since I was still surprised about how straightforward he was. He looked at me, crossing his arms and giving off a sassy vibe. Was it sassy? It seemed so in my perspective. 

"So, what's your name?" He asked. 

"Huh?" 

"Your name. We have already interacted this far, so I think it's better if I know who you are and what you're here for." Konoha told me, leaning a bit on the sink. He looks pretty light so, I guess there's nothing to worry about there. 

"Oh, uh, Haiba Lev." I tell him. 

"Akinori Konoha." He introduces. I managed to give a nod since it was still a bit awkward for me. He jumped right into some questions though, which was sudden. 

"Anyways, okay, sorry about sounding rude earlier. I guess I just got startled because of how long you were already in here." He apologized. 

I flap my hands a bit. 

"No, no. It's fine! Kinda my fault anyway…" I tell him. He laughed for a bit before sighing. I guess it turned into a casual conversation of random things from both sides. He seemed alright.

I prefer Yaku-san better. But it's a good feeling when other people, who are also alive, can talk to someone like me. 

A dead one. 

You could say, I got comfortable quickly. It felt nice to talk like you still exist. Physically. 

"By the way, I hope you don't mind me asking. How did you die…?" He started. He set his stories and tasteless jokes aside. 

Ah, there it is. 

"Stabbed repeatedly with an ice pick. Died pretty quick." I tell him almost immediately. I noticed him jump for a short moment but eased up. 

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. My killer has been put to jail but then, I don't know if he'll bail out or something." 

"Still…" 

"Don't worry, I'm pretty much used to it." 

"So how long have you been… gone…?" 

"Almost a month?" 

"... You… di- it happened— recently…??" 

"Yeah, it did."

There was a bit of silence. I hear him sigh a few times. He's probably just processing that conversation we had. 

"So, why are you watching us play? Are you interested?" He asked me. I hummed.

"Yeah, I am. I've wanted to play volleyball since I was young. I already planned to join a club as soon as I get into highschool but…" I smiled, not finishing the last part, after all, it's pretty obvious why I couldn't live by that plan.

Whatever dream I had about playing, can no longer happen.

I have no options leading to that. Not anymore.

Just because of that day. My first day in my new highschool. 

If I had taken a different route, would I have been okay? Would I have been alive up to this day? Would I have known that there was a different route?

Most probably not.

It was supposed to be… good day for me...

But then again, I can't do anything about that happening anymore.

Konoha breathed in and looked at me. He seemed uncomfortable as he tried to get some words out. After a couple stuttering, he spoke.

"Have you… heard about the… murder? Not too long ago…?" He spoke out again. With that question, I looked at him almost immediately, raising a brow.

"Well, it's just that, it sounded similar to how… it happened and—" 

"Yeah, it should be." I cut him off, even startling him with the way I answered.

"Huh—"

"Because that was basically the only murder that happened within the month."

Silence. Again. 

He looked at me. I can tell how bewildered he was. Was it coming altogether for him? I'm giving him too much information but… I feel like I need to tell him, probably Yaku-san too.

Because it seems like he hasn't understood my situation, or rather, I don't think Yaku-san formed any connection to the reality of what happened to me. He didn't get it, even after I told him.

"Y.. You were…"

"I was killed 3 weeks ago."

"..I.. I see…" 

He looked at me with… 

pity? 

His eyes looked pretty sad. I don't like it. He looked away from me. Probably thinking of how sad I was at the first realization that my life was over. 

I don't like it. 

I died, so what? There's nothing that can bring me back nor anything that can turn back the clock. 

It's affixed this way. 

It's how it should be. 

"So, that was you…" Staring down the floor, he spoke out. I blankly looked at him as I nodded. Meaning, I agreed, obviously. 

"Yeah. Pretty much." I replied.

"You were supposed to… attend…"

"Nekoma? Yeah, I was."

We both fell silent again. It's not really puzzling for anyone if they're hearing that story from me, the victim. I'm not even giving them any confusing parts. I tell them straight away. Specifically, Yaku-san and this guy I'm talking to right now.

Which is why it's a bit disappointing that Yaku-san didn't quite get what I said.

But Konoha seems to understand.

"Must've been horrible…" He muttered, enough for me to hear. I let out a short chuckle.

"It was. But, can't do anything about that."

"What have you been doing these past weeks then?"

"Wandering any place I can go. Basically everywhere."

"...Your family…?"

"They're probably still mourning…? Last time I checked that is…"

"Okay…"

Alright, this is awkward now. I've said what I needed him to know and the conversation is getting weird. I don't mind his questions at all, nor his reactions but the ambiance is too awkward, even the crickets wouldn't dare make noise.

"Anyway, uh, let's… talk about something else. You seem depressed." I tell him. The mood got heavy, so change the topic, right? He got startled again, but agreed.

"Uh, no, no, I'm not. I mean, I guess I just feel a bit.. you know. Uh, because of what happened to you." He scratched his cheek. 

"I get it, it's fine." I give a smile, reassuring him whatever he's feeling is pretty much normal. Anyone who would've heard about a killing could've felt uneasy in some way.

I could pat him but uh, it'll just pass through.

Should I pat him with the mop? I can move some stuff, though, just a little.

No, what the hell am I thinking?

"Is there anyone else you managed to talk to, or is it just me?" He asked. Wow, what a good new topic to talk about. No complaints, this is better than earlier.

"Uh, yes there is. But I'm not telling." I say. He scoffed.

For the privacy of Yaku-san. He might not grow if he gets angry with being bothered by that kind of thing. He always yells at Kuroo, also if there are other members who keep fooling around, not practicing.

"Well, fine then, different topic. Can you move objects?" He asked.

"Yeah. A little bit."

"Then, you can make a ball move."

"You're right! I could play and—"

"No floating the ball, idiot. That's cheating."

"...right." I said in a disappointing manner. He laughed for a while and kept asking more questions.

Something in the lines of, have you tried haunting someone?

and

Have you tried trolling people?

In short, have I used any of the 'ghost abilities' to prank others. My answer? No. I'm a good guy, and I will never try doing that. He laughed at me, probably thinking that I was kidding and would definitely do it when people who can see me aren't there.

No, I will not. I am a nice guy.

After a couple minutes, Konoha put out his phone and put it near his ear. Even though there wasn't any buzzing or any ringing.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, I usually do this if some ghost talks to me in public. As I mentioned, I did encounter few ghosts. So I pretend to have a call, so it wouldn't be too weird." He told me. I looked at him in awe. That's actually really smart.

Maybe I can tell Yaku-san to do that too, so he wouldn't worry anything about people looking at him as if he's a crazy midget.

"That's genius."

"I know, right?" He smirked as I praised his tactic. He confidently put his hands on his sides and chuckled.

I guess I shouldn't have said that.

We talked for a bit more and to be honest, he's pretty interesting.

~  
Author's P.O.V.

"Bokuto-san, have you seen Konoha-san?" Akaashi tapped on the ace's shoulder. Bokuto jumped a bit but relaxed as soon as he realized it was only Akaashi.

"Oh, um. I think he went to the bathroom." He says. As Akaashi was about to tell Bokuto to call him, the ace beat him to it.

"Could you call him, Akaashi~?" Bokuto pleaded, putting his hands together, pouting. The setter looked at him and sighed, agreeing.

"Alright, Bokuto-san."

"Hey hey hey! Thanks a lot, Akaashi!"

"Of course. But please don't do that face again, Bokuto-san. You look like a fish." Akaashi told him before leaving to call Konoha back in to discuss their play for the next game. He heard Bokuto call out his name with a tint of hurt of his setter's bluntness.

"AGKAASHEE, THAT'S JUST MEAN!" Bokuto yells out.

Akaashi walks into the hallway, leading to the bathroom. He grabbed onto the doorknob and was about to give it a turn, to open. But he heard Konoha talking inside. The setter halted, wondering who he was having a conversation with inside the bathroom.

He opened the door slowly, and Konoha jolted as soon as he was seen.

"Konoha-san?" He called out, a bit worried. Not obvious on his tone, as it was monotonous.

"Akaashi..!" Konoha said as he saw his teammate walk in. He held his phone closer to his ear, but Akaashi didn't see it yet.

"Who are you talking to, Konoha-san?" The setter asked, looking around the small bathroom area they were in. He couldn't seem to find anyone there besides the both of them.

"Oh, uh, I'm… talking to a friend…!" Konoha quickly told him, showing his phone but not the 'caller'.

"I see. It's good to know you have friends outside our school, Konoha-san." Akaashi looked at him like a proud mother.

"What is that supposed to mean, Akaashi?!" Konoha screamed as soon as he understood his teammate's words. Akaashi just looked blankly at him.

"I'm sorry, Konoha-san. I didn't mean anything bad." Akaashi told him, bowing. Konoha jolted and stopped him from apologizing.

"Ah, it's fine! It's fine! What did you need me for…?" Konoha quickly told him. He sighed, as he glanced a bit at Lev who was near one of the bathroom stalls, pouting.

"The next game will be starting in 30 minutes. The coach wanted us to discuss how we're going to play in the- who's that…?" Akaashi suddenly looked at the area near the bathroom stalls. Konoha raised a brow and looked at where Akaashi had his eyes on.

"Who's what?" Konoha asked, confused. Akaashi kept looking at the bathroom stall, no, Lev. He was looking at the tall male that was standing straight like a pole, not talking nor looking at the two.

"Him." Akaashi gestured his hands, which directed over to Lev. Konoha gulped, unsure of what to say or do. The setter had a very serious look on his face.

"Uhh… I don't see anyone…?" Konoha lied, but it didn't seem to work. Akaashi looked at his teammate intently.

"Are you seeing them again?" He asks. Konoha and Lev both got startled.

'Again…? Does he know…??' Lev thought. He still stood quietly in his place.

Konoha sighed and just nodded. 

Akaashi walked closer to Lev.

"Konoha-san, you know I know about that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah Akaashi, you're no different from me."

Lev immediately looked at both Konoha and Akaashi. He was utterly confused. They can both see him? Are they serious?

"Hello, my name is Akaashi Keiji. It's a pleasure to meet you… um…?" He paused. Lev took a second to process that it was an introduction. He jumped and quickly spoke.

"H-Haiba Lauv! I mean, LEV." He stammered, bowing. Konoha was holding off his laughter, which Lev found irritating.

"Haiba… Lev?" Akaashi repeated. He looked at the taller male, a bit too much.

"Y-Yes…"

"Sorry, but, you seem familiar…" He mentions. Lev looks back at him, tilting his head to the side.

There was silence with Akaashi's short observations with Lev's appearance. After a while, the setter soon realized who he was.

"I remember. You were in the news a few weeks ago. I'm deeply sorry for what happened to you." Akaashi said. It seems that he knows what happened to this ghostly acquaintance. And he was in the news? That's something the silver-haired male didn't know.

"N-No, it's fine…! It's okay! Uh…" Lev paused for a bit, thinking of the words so he can ask him.

"Hm?"

"You can see ghosts…?" Lev asked. Akaashi nodded.

"Ever since I was little."

"I-I see…"

"Konoha-san knows this, and is the only one in the team who knows. Since we both have the ability to see them. Though, he can't see all of them, I can see every ghost around. It's odd, I know." The setter admitted.

Lev looked amazed by what Akaashi had said. So, three people can see him now. That's good to know, for him, that is. Lev guesses that they're not as normal as he thought they'd be.

"I know it's pretty weird that we can see ghosts, other spirits. But we can't really do anything about it." Konoha added. Lev just smiled at the both of them, which confused the two volleyball players.

"I guess it is. But me, being a ghost myself, I'm glad to know that there are others who can see me." He smiled. Both Konoha and Akaashi gave a smile back at the taller male. As much as Lev wanting to talk to those to more, they needed to go back out.

"Konoha-san, we better return. They're probably waiting for us." Akaashi informed. Konoha nodded, patting his uniform and adjusting it a bit as it seemed rather wrinkled.

"Well, Lev, we better go and plan stuff out. See you around. Be sure to cheer for us!" Konoha said, teasing him as he and Akaashi opened the door to go out.

"Nope!" Lev said confidently.

"Hm?" The two synced. 

"I'm cheering for my supposed team. Nekoma." Lev told them, smiling. Akaashi and Konoha looked at each other before smiling as they said goodbye to the ghost.

~

Fukurodani : Nekoma  
25 : 23  
22 : 25  
25 : 22 

"Hey hey hey!" Bokuto yells as they have won their second game with Nekoma. He had a few times in 'emo mode'. Actually, in all those 3 sets, he self-destructed. Of course, Akaashi as well as their other members like Komi, Sarukui and Konoha, had to pick him back up just so he can feel better.

"I must say, you guys are still good. But we'll beat you next time!" Kuroo said, shaking hands with his rival and friend. Bokuto smirked.

"You guys were great! I had fun, but I will not let you score next time!" Bokuto said confidently.

"Bokuto-san, that's not entirely possible." Akaashi told him with his usual monotonous tone. Bokuto rushed to Akaashi, flailing his arms around.

"AKAAAASHEE! SUPPORT YOUR CAPTAIN ONCE IN A WHILE! YOU'VE HURT ME TWICE ALREADY!" He whined. Akaashi just looked away from him and sighed. The two teams bowed to each other for a great match, even shaking hands with their members. Bokuto and Kuroo were already joking around, while Kenma and Akaashi looked at them disappointedly, knowing that they're planning to do something stupid as soon as the day ends.

Yaku shook hands with Komi, the Fukurodani's libero, for a good match. They both complimented each other for the skill they've shown. Yaku went on over to the bench and took a seat.

He hasn't seen Lev much. He sometimes did, but after a while he would disappear from his spot. He saw him a bit for the first set. He was the for that whole set but for the second and third ones, he was in and out of it.

He sighed, mouthing the ghost's name along with a soft sound, hoping he'd show up. But to his surprise, he wasn't there. Not anywhere Yaku can see.

Maybe he did offend Lev in some way earlier, but just didn't tell him? Or maybe he just got carried away with his "exploration" around the gym, most likely the rest of the school.

He sighed, ignoring that thought for a while as he relaxed himself on the bench he was sitting on. Kuroo gave a little announcement, just about their next scheduled matches and that they should practice more. Their captain then let them rest for the rest of the hour before they clean up.

Kuroo was talking with Bokuto, as it looked as if they had plans as soon as it's time to go home. Their setters already looked worried, not for the two captains but for whatever they intend to do that is most certainly stupid.

Yaku leaned back, arms supporting him as a rest for his body, breathing in and out. He closed his eyes, just giving his mind to relax.  
Once he had opened them, the tall transparent pole, cat-looking person is now right in front of him.

He didn't expect that but he didn't get startled by it. It's as if he knew he'd be there soon enough.

After a while, their rest had finished and they had to clean up, which they did. Surprisingly quick.

As soon as they finished up, Yaku had noticed that some of the team had already left to go home, though the others stayed. They were in groups, waiting for their friends or whoever they're going with before they leave.

Yaku smiles at the tall, silver-haired male, who was waiting patiently near the door. He went on over to him, letting him join as he made his way back home. Lev looked at him with joy.

They talked and talked, walking towards Yaku's house. Though, Lev didn't mention anything about what happened with him along with Akaashi and Konoha, as privacy for those two. After all, he did give Yaku some privacy about what he can do from both the Fukurodani members.

As Yaku entered his housed, he took off his shoes for a split second and looked to see that Lev wasn't there anymore. He got a bit confused.

He sighs and carries on.

He greets his mom, as usual, before going upstairs to his room. His sweet and peaceful room. He relaxed a bit on his bed, reading a book as he hugged a beige-colored pillow.

He enjoyed having to relax. As much as he needed it since his head still spins just a little bit, he can't get Lev off of his mind. He suddenly disappeared. Not even saying anything when he did.

It doesn't bother Yaku as much as he did just meet him around two days ago. But he was still, atleast, a tiny bit worried to why Lev suddenly disappeared.

He shrugs it off and goes back to reading.

30 minutes had passed and still, no Lev. He decided to over his desk and study for a little bit. He took out his textbooks of both Math and English, his mechanical pencil, an eraser and just answered some of the practice problems his teacher gave out to the class.

He focused on that for the remaining time he has before his usual bedtime. He gave a stretch and-

"Aww, how cute!" He heard his mother declare from downstairs. His head turned toward the direction of where the sound was coming from and quickly went to his mom. 

As he, successfully, without tripping, got down, his mother was near the doorframe of their backyard door, crouching. She was cooing at something he couldn't see much. He had to ask.

"Mom? What are you doing?" Yaku asked curiously. His mother looked at him happily, before carrying in her hands a tiny kitten. It was a beige-orange color with a long tail, and its legs were pretty short. Its eyes were green and had a face of a grumpy grandpa.

"It's a little kitten, Mori! Isn't he just lovely?" His mom said, showing off the kitten to her son. Yaku smiled nervously but went closer to take a look at it. His mom looks very excited, as if she wanted to keep the cat.

Well, he does like cats. As he remembered, Kai asked a few questions to him, along with Kuroo, of which of the two things he mentions do they prefer. Yaku prefers cats over dogs as Kuroo went viceversa.

"He does, mom." Yaku replied, smiling at his mother's playful side. She brought the cat in and gave him some food. Yaku looked relieved that his mother was enjoying herself and not worrying if his head was still working properly or upside down. But he did wonder about one thing.

His house was located at a very cramped part of the town. Not one creature has ever went to their backyard, or even hung out by their front fences. There were always kids scaring away stray animals from the street, which is why it's pretty much clean from any stray cats or dogs, even birds.

Was this cat lucky then?

He excused himself and went back to his room as his mother continued giving the cat his needs. As he entered his room, he saw Lev sitting on his bed, looking at the window.

"Where have you been?" Yaku asked.

"Was Yaku-san worried about me?" Lev jumped and faced the shorter boy. 

"Don't get full of yourself." Yaku replied, smirking at how confidently the taller male declared that to his face.

"So? Did you like him?" Lev asked, smiling widely as if he's done a very good deed. Yaku had no clue what his friend was talking about and was confused.

"Liked what?"

"The cat!"

"The cat?"

"The cat, Yaku-san! The cat your mom was holding!" 

Lev looked pretty excited as he told that to Yaku. Meanwhile, the shorter boy was confused and found it a tad bit creepy.

"Don't tell me you, of all people, brought that cat here?" Yaku raised his brow at his ghostly companion. Lev was nodding like there's no tomorrow, it looked as if it was about to come off. 

"Yup! Do you like it? It's a cat that I've seen for a while now." Lev questioned, looking like a child, or more of a dog in Yaku's eyes. The shorter male sighed and crossed his arm over the other, looking at Lev smugly.

"How did you even bring it here?" He questioned the logic of a ghost having to bring a cat to another place.

"Uh, I attracted it…?" Lev smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh-huh." 

"...Possession…?" Lev told him. Yaku looked at him for a bit. 

Possession.

That is something a ghost is able to do. But why bring the cat over to his place? Yaku just kept looking at him while Lev hummed, waiting for his friend to be impressed by what he did.

"Why did you even bring the cat to my house? How did you even find it?" He asked the silver-haired boy, as he had claimed that he has seen it previous times already.

"Oh, well, I kept seeing it even before we even met. He reminded me of you, so I went and found it where it usually stayed!" Lev told him. Yaku gave him a short sigh before proceeding to ask him more questions.

"So, you know where he was?" Yaku asked, grabbing one of his textbooks and scanning it bit by bit and looking at Lev as well as he talked.

"Yeah! As I said, Yaku-san, I kept seeing it way before. I sometimes followed him and at some point, I ended up finding where he usually stayed."

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, I would follow that cat every time! Even now. He's usually near the alley of where…" Lev stopped, his eyes averting from Yaku and was now looking down on the bed he was on.

Yaku was waiting for him to continue, looking up from his textbook. He looked dejected, saddened so suddenly.

"Lev-" Yaku was about to ask his ghostly friend about what he was going to say but he immediately got the reason about Lev's halt in his story.

It was where it happened.

"Uh…" Yaku muttered softly. He didn't know how to respond to that. Lev took a look at him and sighed.

"A-Anyways, Yaku-san!" He started. The shorter boy gave his attention to the sudden call.

"Yes..?"

"You better rest up! I bet you're tired from your practice." He reminds the shorter boy, jumping up from the bed.

"Right… okay…" Yaku smiled awkwardly. He sat on the bed, grabbing onto his blanket. Sure enough, he was worrying about the incident. Lev was taking his leave as he didn't want to be some sort of creep who waits until someone wakes up for them to talk to him. He noticed Yaku a bit too deep in his thoughts, so he had to speak up.

"I'll be going for a bit, Yaku-san and…" Lev started, which made the shorter male lift his head to look at him.

"Don't worry too much, okay? Goodnight!" He smiles. Yaku smiles back at his friend, before giving a wave. Lev disappears.

"Goodnight." He manages to say, just to himself.

Yaku's smile soon disappeared too. He fixed himself up before laying down on his bed. As much as he wants to ask more of it, but for his friend's privacy, he should ask it that fowardly since Lev is still not okay with the incident, obviously.

'...Haiba Lev.' He thought, staring at the ceiling. He should be getting sleep but apparently can't get any of it. 

'1st year. Volleyball.' He continued, his eyebrow meeting together, scrunching his nose. He gave a short sigh.

'Murder... Student of…' Yaku stopped.

He sat up, a bit surprised at the thought. He gripped onto his blanket tightly, eyes widening.  
He doesn't quite understand why he thought of something all relating to Lev at most, but he got something out of that.

'Huh…?' 

'That was… him…?'


	5. I'll Be Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will be ending soon. Sorry if it's too fast, but I hope you still enjoy it. :)

_2 months ago._

The moment Yaku pieced everything together about that faithful moment. The day he knew what happened to Lev. He even questioned himself about how he did not notice something so obvious.

He was in total shock. It was 3am in the morning and was on his bed, widely awake. He could not shake the fact that Lev was that student. He was basically his tall kouhai.

Supposedly.

He speechless. He knew what happened now but he can't seem to react properly. What should he feel? Sad? As much as he knew this… ghost, well enough for the two of them to form a friendship, he was utterly confused as to what to say about the whole happening. What should he do about it? Can he even do something about it? Lev said it wasn't much of an issue anymore to him.

There's this lump in his throat that he can't spit out. Did he want to cry?

He felt like he did. But no tears came down.

He closed his eyes shut, forcing himself to feel the wave of slumber hit and make him fall asleep already but it didn't. His mind was too caught up on the incident.

_It's too damn early for this._

He never did fall into slumber as he wanted, like hell, he didn't even feel tired getting up for school hours later, nor did he feel sleepy during classes as well as their usual practice. Though, he was staring off into space quite a lot, his classmates had to snap him back into reality.

"You okay?" His friend asks from beside him. He nodded, giving a short laugh. He playfully punched his classmate on the arm, shaking off the awkward ambiance.

Well, he didn't feel anything. He wasn't happy, or sad, he's just empty. A student who was about to attend their school, a tall first-year, who enjoyed volleyball and yearned to join the club, got killed on his way there.

No warning.

Just a shout of pure venom, accusing the boy he was someone he was looking for to take revenge on, which was zero percent the guy he needed, as said by Lev.

The tall boy often goes with him home, the usual routine. But unlike before, both of them are now silent. Yaku's mind turned blank and couldn't form any words to start a conversation. Lev, on the other hand, looked straight to where they're headed, not even batting an eye to his companion.

That was their new normal routine going home.

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_1 month ago._

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Yaku had recovered a bit from that bitter realization of the incident with Lev, but it didn't mean that they were back to normal. 

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They were able to talk for a bit though, shooting out random topics ranging from, how was your day to I still remember the taste of butter. They were, apparently, going back to their usual talking routine until Yaku mentioned it.

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"I know what happened now." He started, stopping in his tracks. He wasn't looking at Lev, but he can tell that he was alerted by the subject.

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"I did tell you already." Lev reassures him, trying to slowly put the topic on halt, which didn't. Yaku looked at the opposite direction of where Lev was, continuing. "You were the student who was going to transfer to Nekoma, right?"

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Lev's emerald eyes looked at him intently, humming as a 'yes' response. His hands were clenching into a fist, going back to a promise he made to himself that he would not act up over the incident. That happening. Something that had already been done.

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"Yeah."

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"You wanted to join our club?"

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"Yeah."

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"You wanted to become the ace."

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"Yeah."

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Yaku's face was scrunched into a worrying one, still looking away from Lev. His expression formed into something that the silver-haired male absolutely despised. Even with Yaku not facing him, he knew he was making it. That face.

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_Pity._

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He hated it.

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Yaku was about to ask more but Lev interrupted him, which made the shorter male look at him directly.

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"Yaku-san. Stop." Lev demanded. Yaku was startled, a bit too much. The taller male never raised his voice. He sounded annoyed, most positively, angry.

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"Stop pitying me. Stop. It happened already and nothing can change that. Stop feeling sorry for me. You now know what happened, then good! But don't feel bad for me, **I don't need it**." Lev said, his face was as fierce a lion, commanding its fellow subject to follow. Yaku breathed heavily, eyes widening from his friend's outburst. At that point, he noticed something different about him. His aura, he felt the rage. 

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"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, or disrespect you." Yaku quickly said, gripping onto his bag's strap tightly and was shaking violently. He was scared.

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Lev stared at him with such fierce, he never dared to show that kind of expression to him. He continued walking, Lev trailing behind him, not saying a word. Neither did he.

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_3 weeks ago._

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Yaku researched about the paranormal, something he never thought he'd do. He was scrolling along a site that showed behaviors that a ghost would have.

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Recently, Lev barely made an appearance. The only time that Yaku mostly saw him and had interactions with him, were around lunchbreaks and sometime during practices. But nowadays, he never went home with him. Not after that conversation they had. Now, Kai and Kuroo usually goes home with him, which he finds to be comforting. But he never stopped thinking about Lev.

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Scrolling downwards, he noticed some words near the end of the second paragraph.

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_Moving on._

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_Going into the light._

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He grabbed a piece of paper, that was conveniently lying on the ground, and a pen, writing it down. He doesn't know how to give Lev a choice of moving on but he was willing to try.

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——

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He was at the rooftop, sighing before giving a short call to his friend. He wasn't sure how this might go, but he wanted to talk about that with him. 

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Lev soon appeared after making him come over to him after 7 tries. The taller male looked at him with a blank expression. Not the usual bubbly attitude but not something fearful either. Though, Lev's expression looked like he was relieved to see Yaku for the while.

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"Listen, Lev. I'm sorry about before but I want to help you." Yaku started. Lev had a worried look on his face, as he didn't know what the shorter male wanted to say since he doesn't usually start conversations that sincerely.

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"How." Lev looked down a bit.

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"I want… you to move on." Lev blinked a few times before turning his gaze over at Yaku, who looked a bit determined about his declaration. He was confused.

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"W.. What do you mean?" Lev nervously gave a chuckle.

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"Go… into the light…" Yaku said slowly, tugging on his own uniform. Lev was looking at his friend intently for he did not understand why he was saying all this the moment they had to talk more properly. Less… of that.

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"What?" Lev said, a bit hurt. Yaku stayed silent but his face showed reassurance. The taller male could not believe what he was hearing. Into the light? But he didn't want to. He doesn't need to.

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"Yaku-san? Y-You're letting me go? You don't want me anymore?" The shorter male felt his heart get crushed by those words. He knew Lev got hurt, his eyes were confused. His face screamed that he was no longer wanted, no longer needed, by him, Yaku.

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"No, no! Lev! I do want to. I still want to be your friend—"

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"Then why are you letting go of me?! Why do you say that I need to go?!" Slowly, Lev stepped closer to Yaku, making the shorter male move back until he reached the fence barricade of the rooftop. He was cornered.

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"No, Lev. It's not like that! I just want you to be fre—"

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"You're giving up on me! Moving on?! I belong here, with the rest of you!"

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"Lev, it's not like you're not wanted, okay? It's just there's a better place for you."

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"Better place? The better place is here, Yaku-san!"

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"Lev, it's hard but it's better if you ju—"

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"NO. I DON'T WANT TO!"

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Yaku closed his eyes tight as Lev shouted at him, a tone so high and full of anger towards him, his suggestion. He knew that Lev was hurt, but he also knew that what he said were, in fact, true for his friend. He's a wandering ghost of the surface. He needs to let go.

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He soon felt that the place was empty. Opening his eyelids, he saw that Lev disappeared. He was gone. He scanned the rooftop and sure enough, his friend left. He felt his knees weaken which made him sit down on the spot of where he got pushed into.

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"This is going to take a while…" He said to himself and just calmed himself down. As soon as he did. the bell rang and he had to go back to the classroom.

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_1 week ago_

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It had been 2 weeks since the incident, yet again, with Lev. He saw him rarely than before and they weren't interacting at all when they crossed paths. The tall male would often look from afar, still observing the players as they chase the ball, delivering it over to the other side of the net. Yaku noticed him every time, as if he already knew that Lev would be there.

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As usual, there was no interaction. Lev would plainly stay in his place until the practice was over and would disappear as soon as the players started to leave the gym. He would see Lev look at him before he left.

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It was a plain, blank and expressionless glance. He didn't look angry, nor did he look happy. Just neutral.

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Yaku planned to call him up once more but he hesitated, knowing that Lev probably wouldn't want to talk to him. Kuroo and Kai went over, inviting that he'd go home with them. Well, the rooster head didn't say anything and his friend did most of the talking.

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He happily agreed.

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His routine drastically changed after days passed by. He, again, goes home with Kai and Kuroo, sometimes with the rest of his teammates. 

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He would eat lunch with them too, just going over to the rooftop and talking about whatever comes to mind. Sometimes he and Kuroo would compete as usual, which Kai found as 'normal'.

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He would practice, focused fully on the game and not once did he ever look on that certain place he would always see Lev. He didn't forget him, but he figured he should give time for his friend to calm down.

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Even though his routine changed back to his first one, Kai and Kuroo noticed that Yaku was more caught up with volleyball and, yes, that his schedule changed once more. 

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Yaku even got more serious with studies and practice, which they both thought was a bit sudden.

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Going home one day, a thought came to mind. Yaku had the idea of telling them about Lev and he did. But only to those two classmates of his because he felt like they were who he trusts most.

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"Kai, Kuroo." He called out, stopping in his tracks. They looked back at him, giving their full attention to Yaku.

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"Yes?" Kai hummed, facing the shorter male while Kuroo half faced his body toward him, and let his gaze rest by his shoulder.

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"I.. met the transferee." He started. Kai and Kuroo jolted slightly, looking at each other before putting their gaze back at Yaku. They quickly understood it was the transferee.

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"What, like, you met him before?" Kuroo asked, now completely facing his body and looking straight at Yaku.

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"Just recently." The libero faced down, and looked for more words on how to tell the two.

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"Recently?" Kai wondered.

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"2 months ago." Yaku said flatly. Kuroo and Kai both looked at him confused. That was the period where their libero had gotten into an accident, and the time after that incident.

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"What do you... mean, Yakkun?" Kuroo silently questioned, his eyes affixed on the shorter male who's looking at them, rather seriously.

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"I met him. As soon as I was in the hospital." 

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"You mean to say, you saw his spirit…?" The rooster head assured that what he understood was indeed the real thing. Yaku stayed silent, nodding. The two gave a glance at each other, not saying anything. Kai gave him a pat on his shoulder as soon as Yaku's face started to shift into something uncomfortable.

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"Calm down, Yaku. It's okay. There's nothing bad about it." Kai smiled at him as he looked up to his friend, still nervous. Kuroo finally went to him, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. If it's something you can do now, it's fine. As long as you're not hurting anyone."

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Yaku gasped at the last sentence Kuroo had spoken out.

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Not hurting anyone.

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Oh, but it seems that he did.

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_5 days ago._

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A sudden appearance of Lev, in his room, while he was studying. He hadn't seen him for a while, nor had he talked to him. The taller male was sitting by the bed, he wasn't looking at Yaku but he looked frustrated, breathing heavily, hands fidgeting looking as if he wanted to do multiple things but didn't know where to start.

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Yaku stayed silent, giving Lev some glances from time to time. It was definitely awkward for the both of them, and it wasn't helping that neither of them wanted to start something. They were like statues.

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"Yaku-san…?" Lev started. The boy by the desk looked at him, a bit startled. The silver-haired male breathed deeply before looking back at Yaku, pursing his lips, eyes looking scared.

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"I… I'm sorry." He spoke out. Yaku immediately faced his whole body toward his ghost friend.

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"Wait, no. Please don't apologize. You were uncomfortable, I understand." He said, waving his hands upfront, cancelling Lev's words. He reassured that what happened before was way behind them, and was understandable.

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"I… don't…" Lev hesitated for a bit, which caught Yaku's attention for the while, his hands tugging on the end of his shirt as anticipation slowly filled him. He stayed silent, still looking at Lev.

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"I… I don't want to leave yet. But I thought about it and I want to try… if it is for the better..." Yaku's eyes widened. Lev sighed once more. The libero moved over to the bed, sitting near him.

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"You don't have to rush. If you're ready to go, then you can." Yaku smiled, reassuring his friend that everything will be well and he'll be with him throughout this process. Lev finally smiled.

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"Thanks, Yaku-san…"

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_Present._

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"...and I kinda want to have a walk near the lake." Lev said happily, floating a bit above the bed, crouching. Yaku moved his pen, writing down whatever his friend wanted to do.

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He was listing down the things Lev wanted to do that he can feel better, satisfied, even happy when he finally goes.

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"What else?" Yaku hummed.

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"Hmm… "

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"Lev?" Yaku looked at him for a bit, waiting for him to say something. He was thinking very hard, his thumb and index finger under his chin, tongue sticking up from his lips.

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"Let's see…ah." Lev smiled.

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"How about going to the beach. I kinda missed going there with someone." Lev smiled. Yaku nodded and faced his paper, tightly grabbing the pen. He wrote it down. He asked him once more, so Lev had to think of at least another thing he wanted to experience fully as a ghost.

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"Anything else?" 

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"Well, as of now, just spend it with you. I'm fine with it." Yaku stopped a bit, but started writing it down. He felt how excited Lev was, and promised himself that he'll do all of these things for Lev. 

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But..

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"Yaku-san?" Lev called out, his voice sounded worried, face forming into a more concerned expression. Yaku stopped writing suddenly, his arm that he used to write started trembling. He felt his lips quiver, and his vision got blurry, still looking at the paper. Lev came over to him, his face was locked onto Yaku. But as soon as he reached him, his eyes widened as soon as he saw Yaku, crying.

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"Y-Yaku-san?? W-What's wrong?" Lev asked, his voice panicking. Yaku then realized what was happening. He blinked, tears dropped onto the corner of the paper and he looked at Lev, who was full of concern.

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He breathed heavily at the sight, then looked downwards. 

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He felt so uneasy. He felt sad.

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But why?

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He wanted Lev to feel better as he goes. He wanted him to have fun, and do the things he always wanted, probably what he did before he passed. But why does he feel worse as he keeps thinking of doing all those?

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He was the one who decided that Lev should let go, be free and go into the place where he'll forever be well. Be safer than he is now. 

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He was the one who convinced Lev that he'll be much better over there than he is, staying here.

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He was the one Lev went to, agreeing that he'd give out his best in trying to move on. 

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He was the one who wanted someone else who wasn't at all ready... to pass on.

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_To move forward._

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_To let go._

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To give Lev the better place he deserved.

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When in fact, he himself wasn't ready for his dear friend to go. 

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Not so soon.

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"Y..Yaku-sa-" Before Lev could finish calling out to him once more, Yaku dropped down on the floor, crying while saying that he wasn't ready.

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"I… can't… I'm the one who's not ready…!"

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Lev looked at him, trying to figure out how he'll make him feel better. He calmed himself down first and placed his palm on Yaku's back, to which he felt. He gasped before crying once more.

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"Yaku-san…" Lev calmly spoke out, which made the other's watery eyes slowly look at him. He saw his ghostly friend smile at him.

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"I'll be fine… okay? We both will." He told the libero softly, smiling at him with reassurance. Yaku wiped his tears and smiled back.

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"Right."

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	6. Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letting go is part of life. It becomes a key to be better within the future years. You may not be fine now, but you will soon. It may be easy to say, hard to do and not the same for everyone. But it's up to you to make that change for yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed with the story. Again, I apologize since it was a quick written story. Still, I enjoyed writing my ideas out so I hope you did as well.

"Yakkun, how are you feeling?" The rooster head questioned, looking at the backside of his classmate's head that was tilted forward, meaning he was looking down. Yaku had gone out during a break from practice and Kuroo had noticed him a couple feet away from the gym, blankly staring at the grass and even patting it from time to time. The shorter male pursed his lip, forcing a tiny smile but not looking at the captain.

"Okay." He told Kuroo, giving a short sigh along with a chuckle. His hand moved from the grass and onto his shirt, tugging on it as soon as the captain sat beside him. 

"Clearly, that's a lie." Kuroo hummed. Yaku leaned his arms over his knees, letting half of his face sink and get covered, his eyes and the bridge of his nose being the only parts seen. He gave a glance at his captain before looking upfront once more. Kuroo looked at him and sighed. Both of them were silent and neither of them knew what to say to actually break it.

"You miss him, huh?" Kuroo started. The sulking male flinched and his eyebrows narrowed, giving his face a more readable expression.

"So what?" He shot. His voice was a bit shaky, almost like he was about to cry. Yaku's eyes going to the side, glancing at Kuroo without facing him.

"Nothing bad." The taller male smiled. Yaku sighed, not saying anything.

"But you know it was the right thing to do." He added, making Yaku hug his knees and sink his face more into his arms. Kuroo immediately thought if he could've said it in another way since now, the libero looks even more bummed out.

"I know that much. It doesn't mean I'm not sad about it." Yaku spoke, a hint of defeat as he couldn't hide the way his voice quivered. Kuroo halted. He didn't know whether to smile for the libero admitting that or sad because he doesn't know how to cheer him up.

"You'll be fine, Yakkun. Soon. He's alright there and he would want you to feel better too." Kuroo smiled softly. Yaku's lips trembled, and he couldn't hold in his tears any longer. The captain placed his hand over his back, rubbing it slowly as the shorter male cried silently, not lifting his head.

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**  
**

_It was 3 weeks ago, when he last saw him_

_It was 3 weeks ago, when he made the decision._

_It was 3 weeks ago, when he accomplished all of his friend's final wishes._

_It was 3 weeks ago when his friend had moved on forward._

_It was 3 weeks ago… when he realized he was so much more than a friend._

Yaku went to Lake Tagokura, as Lev had mentioned wanting to stroll around a lake. Luckily, they were on summer break at the time, he had lots of time to do whatever he wanted. The taller male hummed, raising his arms sideways as he walked near the edges of the lake. Being told constantly by Yaku that he may forget that Lev was a ghost and might go after him into the water by accident. The silver-haired male laughed gleefully and made a few steps back, making sure he was about a couple meters away from the edge of the lake.

"This is beautiful, Yaku-san! Have you been here before?" Lev asked, walking backwards while the libero was following him forward. Yaku shook his head sideways, and took a glimpse at the lake. It was truly a majestic sight, he can't even say any words to describe the beauty that's in front.

"No, this is my first time being here." He stated. Lev made an "o" shape with his mouth, a bit surprised even stopping in his tracks. Yaku laughed at Lev's expression, and walked past him. The taller male shook his head and caught up to him, smiling happily to the thought that the libero is with him and spending time with him. Even if he knew what this would result in, he was still overjoyed.

"Has your family not been to a lake before?" Yaku asks.

"Well, I wouldn't say family. Just me and my sister, Alisa." Lev placed a finger to his lips. Yaku raised a brow.

"Your sister's family, idiot."

"W-Well, not the whole family is what I meant!"

"Okay okay, calm down. You look like a volcano about to erupt." Yaku laughed, seeing his companion a bit fumed probably from embarrassment. Lev pouted before continuing to walk once more.

They reached their starting point again, meaning they have already circled through the paths surrounding the lake. Yaku was about to call it a day, as they were walking around the place for about 3 hours now and it was already 4pm but Lev begged him to go for another round. Looking at the taller male's pleads, hands pressed together and his face pouting, how can he not say no.

"Sure." Yaku hummed and Lev smiled in such a childish manner, the older couldn't help but let out a laugh. Floating, the ghost went ahead as he couldn't contain his excitement any longer. The shorter male smiled and calmly followed right after.

Somehow, Yaku, as much he doesn't show it, felt delighted being with his supposed kouhai. After having talked about doing all this, he found himself smiling from time to time whenever Lev talks or even when he just thinks of him and his shenanigans.

_It's normal, right?_

He was just happy about having a friend to spend time with. Happy that they would talk about a lot of things no matter how random the topics would get. Shifting from how practice was for Yaku to 'How come you can lick your knee but not your elbow?'. Strangely enough, it was entertaining for the libero to see Lev keep thinking about the logic behind something ridiculous as that.

Though, he admits he still felt sad. After they're done, Lev will have to go ahead without him. He hasn't been friends with him for years or anything, but he had grown accustomed to his presence and wanted to be friends with him longer. Be with him longer. Spend time with him more, more than now. Laugh with him. Talk more. If he had the chance, he would've hugged him a lot.

"Yaku-san! Come on!" Lev's voice cut through his train of thought and looked at the taller male who was smiling, inviting him to go with him. Yaku smiled and walked forwards.

_Just a bit more..._

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The next day, they didn't waste any time holding back and went to the beach. Yaku wasn't really that fond of the place though. He didn't like that much sand, the waves weren't as calming as most people had said and he was too exposed to sunlight to enjoy himself. Lev was the opposite. He loved the water and the waves that hit near the shore. The sun seemed like his friend, even though he couldn't feel much heat from it like Yaku could, and he was super happy to be there.

"Come out of that beach umbrella, Yaku-san. You need more sunlight." Lev teased, seeing that the libero was spending time with an item that gives off shade than him. Yaku grinned and hugged his knees, a book in front of his smug face. Lev crossed his arms, going upside down going in front of the shorter male.

"You promised~" The ghost smiled, smirking as he saw Yaku looking defeated. He got dragged, with the use of words, by the tall male into the water. The libero raised a brow at him, confused at what he should do. Lev dipped his hands into the water and raised it, suddenly flicking it sideways. Yaku tilted his head.

"Do that." Lev told him. "I can't do it, so you do it for me."

"Splash water?" Yaku reassured him that it's what he thought of doing. Lev nodded gleefully with a goofy grin on his face. The shorter male smiled, and did so. Dipping his hands in the water, he cups it before raising it, making the water splash. He was surprised to have felt such happiness, just by doing that. He laughed, facing Lev and played along the water.

After a while, they had to go home because it was late. Yaku fixed his things, and walked back to the station along with Lev who was happily tailing him.

Making it more entertaining, Yaku let Lev tell more stories he knew. It was basically the ghost rambling and rambling over how he was clumsy and would bump into objects he wasn't aware was there. But now that he's transparent, bumping was impossible. He even told the libero that one of his sisters was a bit offended by his sudden growth and went on an immediate diet and training session to boost her metabolism. She grew, but not much.

Yaku got home and Lev disappeared for a while, giving his shorter friend to rest for the day since they had each other for the whole day already. Sighing, he dropped onto the bed, placing an arm over his stomach while looking up into the ceiling. 

The smile that has been on his face for almost the whole day has disappeared. His mind raced, having the realization that it will all be over soon. That ghost would disappear soon, and never come back. He knew he wasn't ready at all but he had to let him go. He and Lev both need to move on.  


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Couple days passed, Yaku had spent almost everyday with his friend. Go to the park, watch movies in his room, watching the libero make pancakes and such stuff. Lev had also mentioned talking about the two Fukurodani students who can see him, which absolutely shocked Yaku. The libero knew them too, of course, but never knew that of them. Laughing, teasing and a couple of insults too, they soon went out stargazing in the backyard. The libero made sure that he and Lev had the whole time for themselves.

"Yaku-san?" Lev started, smiling as he stared at the glittering evening sky. Yaku faced him, his cheek touching the grass.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you so much." Startled, Yaku's eyes widened at Lev's sudden gesture. The taller faced him with a warm smile.

"Why are you thanking me, you goofball?"

"Because even though you knew what happened to me, you made me your friend. Others would be scared. But you stuck by me until now. We had falling outs within the months but it was repaired quickly." Yaku was silent, letting Lev speak what he had to. This was probably the last time he can ever hear his voice this long.

"I'm so happy to have been your friend. Thank you for teaching me about volleyball. Thank you for showing me your libero skills, they were fantastic. Thank you for doing all those with me, going to the beach and having fun with me. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for always being calm. Thank you for crying, for me. Thank you for smiling for me. Thank you so much, Yaku Morisuke." Lev finished, smiling at his friend with such reassurance that he'll be fine. Yaku soon had tears streaming down his cheeks, sniffling and sobbing uncontrollably. The taller male soon wrapped his arms around him, and he felt it. He felt Lev's touch and he cried even more.

"I'll miss you Lev." Yaku cried. Lev smiled calmly, letting go.

"Me too, Yaku-san." He said. Yaku sat up and wiped his tears, clenching onto his shirt, trying to calm himself down. He soon saw Lev looking up, but not like before. His face was glowing and he seemed so at peace. Yaku knew what was happening.

_It was time_

"Lev…?" He called out. The ghost looked at him, smiling.

"I'll miss you Yaku-san. Please continue on. I'll be with you, okay?" He told him. Yaku's lips quivered, not wanting to cry more than he already had. He smiled back to Lev and nodded, raising his fist on shoulder level.

"I will. Thank you, Lev." Before he knew it his smile was replaced by whimpers, as his friend disappeared. No other trace than the last curve of Lev's smile he will ever see. He knelt down onto the grass and cried everything out. He knew he'll be regretting the exhaustion and his eyes getting swollen the next day but it didn't matter. Not right now.

_Thank you so much…_

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**A couple years later**

"Yeah yeah, idiot. Fix your bedhead first then." Yaku teased, sitting with a familiar rooster-headed male and a pudding head next to him.

"Grow first." Kuroo insulted, smirking deviously. Yaku grinned but it was more intense, and had more evil plotting written all over. Kenma sat quietly near Kuroo, sneaking a hand to get some of the taller friend's fries to which he allowed anyway.

After a while, they both calmed down from all the insults and Yaku faced outside the window of the restaurant they were in. Kuroo picked up what he was doing immediately and just smiled.

"Miss him?" He asked. Yaku jolted a bit, glancing over to his smirking companion. He just smiled, nodding.

"Yeah. I do."

"You did the right thing. Besides, we're going to die too. You'll see him soon." Kuroo remarks, joking on that last part of his statement. Yaku just gave a chuckle. He wasn't wrong though. He doesn't want to die soon, but it'll happen. But for the meantime, life goes on and live it to the fullest.

"I've been yearning for that." Kenma comments, not taking his eyes off his PSP. Kuroo rubs the top of his head, making the pudding head lose the game, giving his friend a glare to which the taller man raised his hands up to. Yaku just laughed at their interaction, soon staring out the window once again, looking at the pinky orange sky, the sun almost in hiding. It was the same scenery on the beach, with Lev. It never ceases to amaze him of how well the colors mixed. He cherished it as much as Lev had.

"See you soon, Lev."


End file.
